HISTORY Charlotte Rhodes
Star of one of Britain’s most popular television shows of the 1970s: the Onedin Line.
F by Phil Scoble
ew ships could have had a more inauspicious first entry to the river Dart: nearly crashing into another vessel down to the inexperience of her crew and a faulty gearbox.
such was the first voyage along the river for the schooner Charlotte rhodes in september 1970. Few ships could have grown to such heights of esteem in the town, nationally or around the world either. For the Charlotte rhodes was destined to become the star of one of britain’s most popular television shows of the 1970s: the Onedin Line. the writer of the Onedin Line, Cyril Abraham, told an
interesting story of when he first set foot on the Charlotte rhodes, the ship of his series’ hero: James Onedin. Abraham was a seasoned seaman, who had spent
many years in the merchant navy before becoming a successful television writer. His new series, based on the trials and tribulations of an irascible Victorian shipping magnate, needed a ship and the Charlotte rhodes had been chosen. Abraham travelled down to Dartmouth for the filming of the programme’s pilot. the ship was loaded up and headed out past Dartmouth Harbour for a day’s filming. Abraham started to talk to the crew and found his unease growing steadily as it turned out none of them were professional sailors: He met a pub landlord, a biochemist and one ex-naval officer who turned out only to have trained in using a radar. growing more worried by the minute, he asked what the Captain had done for a living: “He used to be a pilot,” he was told and he began to relax. When he met the Captain he asked where he had been a pilot: “For british Airways” he was told. the captain of the ship was one James
mackreth, who had started his flying career in bristol fighters and ended up in trident airliners. He had retired in 1968 and had begun looking for what he called ‘a new project’. On one of his last professional trips he had found himself in Denmark and went to look at a small harbour in the north of the country. there he saw a 130ft long schooner called the meta Jan that was for sale. Chatting to the owner, mackreth heard about its history and found himself falling for the old girl: how she had been built in a shipyard in svendborg in Denmark in 1904 and launched as the eva and had spent many years carrying cargo from northern europe to America across the wild northern Atlantic. He knew he was in love and agreed to buy the ship.
Schooner Charlotte Rhodes All there was left to sort out, he thought, was the issue
of the vessel’s name. He felt that if it was to be in a british port, it ought
He knew he was in love and agreed to buy the ship.
to have a decent british name. He looked back at ships sailing the seas around britain when the eva was first launched, and found countless solid ladies’ names, such as ellen Fisher, elizabeth ellen or the margaret Ann. He then saw the name of his wife’s great, great grandmother, Charlotte rhodes - and it seemed absolutely perfect. before he sailed from scandinavia he had the name carved on a grand wooden plaque and attached to the ship’s prow. And so we arrive back where we came in: the ship, with its inexperienced crew, sailing into Dartmouth in glorious september
sunshine. the Charlotte rhodes had just come across the north sea and through the channel under sail. As it came into harbour, Captain mackreath planned to turn into the wind to pick up her moorings. the important word there is; planned. the crew wasn’t quick enough bringing the sails down
to allow it to make that rather difficult move - and the Lower Ferry was forced to check its progress as the 130ft ship careened past, with mackreath hoping that he would be able to hug the Kingswear side of the river before swinging across the river – he tried this, but the sails were still not down and the ship was heading rather fast towards a line of boats moored on the Dartmouth side.
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